The case of Asia Bibi, finally acquitted of blasphemy in Pakistan, has attracted an enormous amount of media attention. In a guest post, Neil Addison analyses the judgment… 

As is well known, the Pakistani Christian lady Asia Bibi has been cleared of the charge of blasphemy for which she had been sentenced to death. The judgment of the Supreme Court of Pakistan is available in English at the Supreme Court’s website: Asia Bibi v The State CRIMINAL APPEAL NO.39-L OF 2015.

It’s an interesting read, if only because of the fact that the opening paragraphs read more like a manual on Islamic theology than a legal judgment. That was probably necessary in order to establish the Court’s Islamic credentials before the judgment turned to more prosaic legal arguments. Continue reading →